It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

For me, November is a month of transformation. I always start off the month in a haze of post-Halloween blues, desperately wishing for autumn to last a little longer. However, by the end of the month I’m usually in full-on Christmas mood! It’s weird to go from one extreme to the other in the space of just weeks, but I roll with it.

This year, we broke tradition and put up the decorations a little early (although based on my Instagram feed, it would seem we weren’t the only ones!). This is the first Christmas time that Gareth and I are having in our new house, so it was really nice to make all those little decisions… what colour scheme should we choose? Where should the tree go? Where can we hang the garlands?

New projects and craft tutorials

I’ve also been super busy this month working on loads of blog projects for 2018. I can’t tell you about all of them just yet – but there are lots of workshops planned, that I can’t wait to teach. I LOVE meeting fellow crafters face-to-face and sharing skills. One of the biggest workshop series I have planned is for The Handmade Fair with Kirstie Allsopp (read more about that, here)… that’s gonna be a big one!

As well as 2018 project planning, I’ve also been keeping busy with loads of new craft tutorials for the blog. My favourite has got to be my new fabric advent calendar… I love it! I’ve also shared plenty of Christmas ornament DIYs, including these wooden bead decorations. I made video tutorials for all of them, so you can check them out over on my YouTube channel. (If you prefer to buy your decorations rather than making them, then I’ve got you covered too – check out my roundup of awesome Christmas decorations!).

Soaking up the last of the autumn…

Before the golden-orange of autumn slips into the chilly bite of winter, I made sure to get out and about and enjoy the weather. I’m pretty lucky as I live a short walk from the beautiful Wollaton Park in Nottingham. I’ve been walking around it pretty much every weekend this month! Of course, I wrapped up warm in my new knitted scarf – which you can get the pattern for, here.

I’ve been experimenting with a few new recipes for hot cocoa this month, too (cos I ALWAYS crave a mug of hot chocolate or cocoa after a cold walk!). Of course, this has also given me a good opportunity to put my new DIY personalised coffee stencils to good use! And what’s the point of a hot drink, without a sweet treat to accompany it? My go-to this month have been these insanely moreish macarons… YUM.

Anyway, I hope you guys have had a good November? As of today, there’s just 24 sleeps until Christmas. AAH! Are you ready yet? I’ve bought a few gifts, but I’m a long way away from finishing… I best get my skates on! Until next time. 🙂 – Mike.

About me

Mike is the owner and founder of The Crafty Gentleman, a website aimed at encouraging men into the world of crafts. He loves nothing more than an afternoon spent crafting, with a cup of tea and some good tunes in the background.